Hotel Owner October 2017 | Page 48

QUALITY IN TOURISM | WHEN AN INSPECTOR CALLS marketing. By describing accurately in any advertisement, brochure, or other printed or electronic media, the facilities and services provided. You must also advise visitors at the time of booking and subsequently, of any change to their booking, whether the accommodation offered is in an unconnected annexe or similar, and indicate the location of such accommodation and any difference in comfort and/or amenities from accommodation in the main property. YOUR STAFF n H  ealth & Safety at Work Act 1974: places a responsibility on the employer “to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work” of all their employees. This includes your responsibility as an employer, but also encompasses your guests, contractors and sub-contractors as well, including COSHH, First Aid Training, Manual Handling etc. n N  ational Living Wage: must be paid to all staff, as set by the government. As optional best practice, more employers amended to GDPR in May 2018 subject laws in different countries. Changes are looking at becoming Living Wage to our continued membership in the include customers’ rights to know how Employers, paying a higher rate over and EU. The Data Protection Act 1998 (c 29) much information you hold on them, a new above the National Living Wage. is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament fining regime and an updated protocol for Other Best Practice considerations: consent. n P  ublic Liability Insurance: while not a designed to protect personal data stored on computers or in an organised paper n Prices & Payment: you must make clear statutory requirement, it is a requirement filing system. It follows the EU Data to guests exactly what is included in for participation in an assessment scheme Protection Directive 1995 protection, all prices quoted for accommodation and is an encouraged practice for all processing and movement of data. including taxes and any other surcharges. businesses. Proprietors may be asked It dictates fair use of data and how You must adhere to and not exceed these to provide evidence that Public Liability frequently it is used, that it is stored prices quoted at the time of booking. Also insurance cover is being maintained and safely and securely and not kept any worth noting, from 13th January 2018 no longer than absolutely necessary, and business will be able to add a surcharge that the individual has given permission to any payment made by credit card. for its storage and use. It will be replaced n Cancellation Policy: your cancellation that the requirements are being fulfilled. n C  yber-crime – with most hotels offering free, unprotected Wi-Fi in public areas ensure terms and conditions clearly state by a new UK Data Protection Bill which policy must be communicated clearly to the risks of hackers and that if data is enforces much of GDPR (see below) and your guests at the time of booking by collected (“please enter email, name and includes changes to how business data telephone, email etc. and be available telephone number”) that your Wi-Fi T&Cs is handled, and enforces an opt-in and on your website. You must not operate state why this is collected and who will verification process, often referred to as outside of this cancellation policy, have access to this as a database. We double opt-in. regardless of circumstances. strongly advise providing WiFi which does n General Data Protection Regulation n Consumer Protection from Unfair collect data to ensure any illegal activity (GDPR) is the EUs attempt to clarify data Trading Regulations 2008: this can be attributed to the guest and not to laws and provide harmony between data promotes transparent, honest the hotel. 48 www.hotelowner.co.uk October 2017